Awhile ago, I wrote that I was undecided whether Nip + Fab Tummy Fix actually did what it was supposed to: make the stomach at least look smaller. After using it faithfully twice a day for a couple of weeks, I really can’t say I saw the “flatter silhouette” the makers talk about, and my waist measurement certainly hadn’t gone down any. (It hadn’t gone up, either, so I can’t get all furious and claim the stuff has the opposite effect). Well, I already knew that pregnancy changes your life forever. Also, I tend to take in a little too much sugar and fat, and I never really expected some sticky stuff in a tube to cancel that out magically.

So I gave up putting it on my stomach and left it on the bathroom shelf for a while. Then one day when I was feeling even older than usual, I wondered if there was any reason it shouldn’t work on other sagging body parts — nothing large, heavy, or affected by childbearing this time, but . . . my neck. There’s a reason older women tend to like scarves, and I keep forgetting to wear one. So I went back to using the Tummy Fix faithfully twice a day, this time rubbing a tiny amount downward from my jaw — and somehow, this time it worked. At least I think it did. On days when I use it, I see less of a threat of a double chin on my reflection, and that’s enough to make it worthwhile for me.

No, it’s not using it only as the manufacturer intended. And it doesn’t solve everything, and it won’t keep me young forever. But it’s no more trouble than putting on moisturizer, and it makes me feel better about myself. So I’ll stick with it at least until the tube runs out, then consider getting more.

Speaking of sticking — Tummy Fix is sticky, though that feeling gradually goes away as the skin absorbs it. It also has a fairly strong scent, not bad but not really pleasant either, more medicinal than anything else.

The company’s site says, “The active substances are caffeine and synephrine. Both ingredients activate the breakdown of lipids . . .” And no, it won’t give you coffee nerves.